RESUMEN
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) are signaling lipids that evoke growth factor-like responses to many cells. Recent studies revealed the involvement of LPA and S1P in the pathology of IPF. In this study, we determined LPA, S1P and ceramide 1-phosphate (C1P) in peripheral blood plasma of IPF patients, and examined correlation to the vital capacity of lung (VC), an indicator of development of fibrosis. Blood plasma samples were taken from eleven patients with IPF and seven healthy volunteers. The lipids of the sample were extracted and subjected to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for analysis. Results showed that there is a significant negative correlation between VC and plasma LPA levels, indicating that IPF patients with advanced fibrosis had higher concentration of LPA in their plasma. Average of S1P levels were significantly higher in IPF patients than those in healthy subjects. Although it is not statistically significant, a similar correlation trend that observed in LPA levels also found between VC and S1P levels. These results indicated that plasma LPA and S1P may be associated with deterioration of pulmonary function of IPF patients. J. Med. Invest. 69 : 196-203, August, 2022.